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The head of the U.S. Agency for International Development recounted the story of a woman at the world's largest refugee complex in Dadaab, Kenya, as an example of why investment of U.S. taxpayer dollars is needed in global health. "There was a woman who had traveled for 80 kilometers, carrying her remaining belongings to a place of shelter, and along the way had been attacked and robbed. She reached a point where she had to make an unimaginable decision. She could no longer carry both of her children. She had to choose because she couldn't physically carry both of her children into that camp. I have three kids. I just couldn't forget that story," Rajiv Shah said Thursday at a dinner hosted by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism.

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The numbers are staggering: every 90 seconds, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth -- that's about 1,000 women a day. Yet experts say that more than 80% of these deaths are totally preventable if only the mothers-to-be received proper medical care. Diane Sawyer and a team of ABC News correspondents, including Deborah Roberts and Dr. Richard Besser, travel the globe to shed light on this "international crime" as part of an ABC News year-long global health series. "Making Life: A Risky Proposition," an eye-opening hour report on challenges faced by mothers in developing countries, as well as low-cost, low-tech solutions that can help save millions of lives, airs on a Diane Sawyer "20/20" Special on Friday, December 16 (10 p.m. - 11 p.m. ET) on the ABC Television Network. Read more via the UN Foundation.

Mary Robinson, former UN high commissioner for human rights, is calling upon women across the world to make their voices heard in the debate over climate change, characterizing it as a matter of justice: The richest countries caused the problem, but the world's poorest are suffering most.

In an interview, photojournalist Stephanie Sinclair -- who shot the feature "Too Young To Wed" for National Geographic magazine -- discusses nearly a decade of work investigating child marriage throughout the world. Despite international agreements that outlaw the practice in many countries, millions of young girls, some as young as five, are forced into marriage annually.

Polish authorities are working to help new governments in the Arab world manage democratic transitions in a bid to increase Poland's diplomatic stature and enhance economic development. Poland has offered help to Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, hosting Tunisian bureaucrats and politicians in Warsaw for democracy and policy-making training sessions.

Canadian authorities have officially announced intentions to quit the Kyoto Treaty, and expect that officials in other countries will soon do the same. Environment Minister Peter Kent says Ottawa remains committed to working both unilaterally and multilaterally to curb greenhouse gas emissions.